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Vatican flag flying ‘could be an offence in Scotland’

Wednesday, 10th October 2018

A Labour MSP has called for a review into a Police Scotland document, which states that it could be a criminal offence to fly the Vatican flag.

James Kelly, Scottish Labour and Co-op MSP for Glasgow, has urged Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf to order a review on the document containing a list of flags that could be a criminal offence to fly in Scotland.

‘Banning the waving of the Vatican flag breaches people’s human rights. Humza Yousaf must listen again to concerns and order Police Scotland to review this list,’ Mr Kelly tweeted.

The police document, obtained by The Herald on Sunday, includes images of potentially criminal symbols and a brief description of the laws which may be broken if they are flown ‘in a provocative manner’.

The Herald on Sunday reported that officers can charge perpetrators with Breach of the Peace or an offence under Section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licencing (Scotland) Act 2010 and, if convicted in court, offenders who fly the flags could face up to five years in prison.

As well as the Vatican flag, the list contains the Irish tricolour, the Israeli and Palestinian flags and the Catalan and Basque flags. However it does not include the Union Jack or the Saltire.

Picture: 2014 archive photo of a girl waving the Vatican flag as Pope Francis leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters).